MECHANICSBURG—Silver Spring officials are considering ownership of 64 acres of open space in the township that could become a regional wildlife preserve with walking trails once traversed by golf carts.

A developer of the former Silver Spring Golf Club is proposing the construction of 67 single-family homes at 136 Sample Bridge Road.

The 89-acre so-named Millfording Preserve consists of 64 acres of designated open space—land in a floodplain that cannot be developed. For that reason, they are looking to let a homeowner’s association or third-party take over, but have also offered the land as a gift to the township.

It’s news that has gotten township staff excited.

At Wednesday night’s board of supervisors meeting, township planning director Anthony Vallone said the use of the land would be “a little different from a park, and more of a preserve.”

“We don’t need more ballfields, we don’t need more development down in this area,” said Parks and Recreation director Jeff Williams, “but we have an opportunity to let it go natural.”

The land is reportedly home to unique wildlife species, ponds, and a nearly one-mile-long creek-side trail running through it.

Supervisors spoke in favor of the township’s potential use of the land, but said they would like to see more solid numbers on the cost and energy to maintain the land before moving forward on the acquisition.

Earlier in the meeting, the board granted approval for the submission of an application for a $10,000 Appalachian Trail and Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Assistance mini-grant, which would be used to review and amend the cluster development section of the zoning ordinance.

The cluster ordinance, according to township manager Theresa Eberly, is what determines how many homes can be built on a particular property.

The Millfording Preserve would be a cluster community, which boarders an open space attractive to homebuyers.

Vallone presented on the Growing Greener, Conservation by Design concept, a concept that would grow this cluster-community practice, which he said could realistically be implemented in the township within six months.

Supervisor Vince DiFilippo said the township currently has a similar ordinance in place, which replaced a “poor” ordinance that did not greatly support conservation practices in development. This new proposal, he said, “will take this better ordinance and make it outstanding, in my opinion.”

Conservation design, he added, “is simply using the proper ground to build, and the proper ground to conserve.”